DreamWorks
For the bulk of every Rocky and Bullwinkle episode, moose and squirrel would engage in high concept escapades that satirized geopolitics, contemporary cinema, and the very fabrics of the human condition. With all of that to work with, there's no excuse for why the pair and their Soviet nemeses haven't gotten a decent movie adaptation. But the ingenious Mr. Peabody and his faithful boy Sherman are another story, intercut between Rocky and Bullwinkle segments to teach kids brief history lessons and toss in a nearly lethal dose of puns. Their stories and relationship were much simpler, which means that bringing their shtick to the big screen would entail a lot more invention — always risky when you're dealing with precious material.
For the most part, Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman handles the regeneration of its heroes aptly, allowing for emotionally substance in their unique father-son relationship and all the difficulties inherent therein. The story is no subtle metaphor for the difficulties surrounding gay adoption, with society decreeing that a dog, no matter how hyper-intelligent, cannot be a suitable father. The central plot has Peabody hosting a party for a disapproving child services agent and the parents of a young girl with whom 7-year-old Sherman had a schoolyard spat, all in order to prove himself a suitable dad. Of course, the WABAC comes into play when the tots take it for a spin, forcing Peabody to rush to their rescue.
Getting down to personals, we also see the left brain-heavy Peabody struggle with being father Sherman deserves. The bulk of the emotional marks are hit as we learn just how much Peabody cares for Sherman, and just how hard it has been to accept that his only family is growing up and changing.
DreamWorks
But more successful than the new is the film's handling of the old — the material that Peabody and Sherman purists will adore. They travel back in time via the WABAC Machine to Ancient Egypt, the Renaissance, and the Trojan War, and 18th Century France, explaining the cultural backdrop and historical significance of the settings and characters they happen upon, all with that irreverent (but no longer racist) flare that the old cartoons enjoyed. And oh... the puns.
Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman is a f**king treasure trove of some of the most amazingly bad puns in recent cinema. This effort alone will leave you in awe.
The film does unravel in its final act, bringing the science-fiction of time travel a little too close to the forefront and dropping the ball on a good deal of its emotional groundwork. What seemed to be substantial building blocks do not pay off in the way we might, as scholars of animated family cinema, have anticipated, leaving the movie with an unfinished feeling.
But all in all, it's a bright, compassionate, reasonably educational, and occasionally funny if not altogether worthy tribute to an old favorite. And since we don't have our own WABAC machine to return to a time of regularly scheduled Peabody and Sherman cartoons, this will do okay for now.
If nothing else, it's worth your time for the puns.
3/5
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Tribeca Film via Everett Collection
For a film that involves a love triangle, mental illness, a Bohemian colony of free-spirits, an impending war and several important historical figures, the most exciting elements of Summer in February are the stunning shots of the English country and Cornish seaside. The rest of the film never quite lives up to the crashing waves and sun-dappled meadows that are used to bookend the scenes, as the entertaining opening never manages to coalesce into a story that lives up the the cinematography, let alone the lives of the people that inspired it.
Set in an Edwardian artist’s colony in Cornwall, Summer in February tells the story of A.J. Munnings (Dominic Cooper), who went on to become one of the most famous painters of his day and head of the Royal Academy of Art, his best friend, estate agent and part-time soldier Gilbert Evans (Dan Stevens), and the woman whom they both loved, aspiring artist Florence Carter-Wood (Emily Browning). Her marriage to Munnings was an extremely unhappy one, and she attempted suicide on their honeymoon, before killing herself in 1914. According to his journals, Gilbert and Florence were madly in love, although her marriage and his service in the army kept them apart.
When the film begins, Munnings is the center of attention in the Lamorna Artist's Colony, dramatically reciting poetry at parties and charming his way out of his bar tab while everyone around him proclaims him to be a genius. When he’s not drinking or painting, he’s riding horses with Gilbert, who has the relatively thankless task of keeping this group of Bohemians in line. Their idyllic existence is disrupted by the arrival of Florence, who has run away from her overbearing father and the fiancé he had picked out for her in order to become a painter.
Stevens and Browning both start the film solidly, with enough chemistry between them to make their infatuation interesting. He manages to give Gilbert enough dependable charm to win over both Florence and the audience, and she presents Florence as someone with enough spunk and self-possession to go after what she wants. Browning’s scenes with Munnings are equally entertaining in the first third of the film, as she can clearly see straight through all of his bravado and he is intrigued by her and how difficult she is to impress. Unfortunately, while the basis of the love triangle is well-established and entertaining, it takes a sudden turn into nothing with a surprise proposal from Munnings.
Neither the film nor Browning ever make it clear why Florence accepts his proposal, especially when they have both taken great pains to establish that she doesn’t care much for him. But once she does, the films stalls, and both Stevens and Browning spend the rest of the film doing little more than staring moodily and longingly at the people around them. The real-life Florence was plagued by depression and mental instability, but neither the film nor Browning’s performance ever manage to do more than give the subtlest hint at that darkness. On a few occasions, Browning does manage to portray a genuine anguish, but rather than producing any sympathy from the audience, it simply conjures up images of a different film, one that focused more on Florence, and the difficulties of being a woman with a mental illness at a time when both were ignored or misunderstood.
Stevens is fine, and Gilbert starts out with the same kind of good-guy appeal the won the heart of Mary Crawley and Downton Abbey fans the world over. However, once the film stalls, so does his performance, and he quickly drops everything that made the character attractive or interesting in favor of longing looks and long stretches of inactivity. He does portray a convincing amount of adoration for Florence, although that's about the only real emotion that Gilbert expresses for the vast majority of the film, and even during his love scene, he never manages to give him any amount of passion.
Cooper does his best with what he’s given, and tries his hardest to imbue the film with some substance and drama. His Munnings is by turns charming, brash, and brooding, the kind of person who has been told all of their life that they are special, and believes it. He even manages to give the character some depth, and even though he and Browning have very little chemistry, he manages to convey a genuine affection for her. It’s a shame that Munnings becomes such a deeply unlikable character, because Cooper is the only thing giving Summer in February a jolt of life – even if it comes via bursts of thinly-explained hostility. It's hard to watch just how hard he's working to connect with his co-stars and add some excitement to a lifeless script and not wish that he had a better film to show off his talents in.
Unfortunately, by the time Florence and Gilbert are finally spurred into activity, the film has dragged on for so long that you’re no longer invested in the characters, their pain, or their love story, even if you want to be. Which is the real disappointment of Summer in February; underneath the stalled plot and the relatively one-note acting, there are glimmers of a fascinating and compelling story that’s never allowed to come to the forefront.
2/5
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Lions Gate via Everett Collection
When we last left our heroes, they had conquered all opponents in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, returned home to their newly refurbished living quarters in District 12, and fallen haplessly to the cannibalism of PTSD. And now we're back! Hitching our wagons once again to laconic Katniss Everdeen and her sweet-natured, just-for-the-camera boyfriend Peeta Mellark as they gear up for a second go at the Capitol's killing fields.
But hold your horses — there's a good hour and a half before we step back into the arena. However, the time spent with Katniss and Peeta before the announcement that they'll be competing again for the ceremonial Quarter Quell does not drag. In fact, it's got some of the film franchise's most interesting commentary about celebrity, reality television, and the media so far, well outweighing the merit of The Hunger Games' satire on the subject matter by having Katniss struggle with her responsibilities as Panem's idol. Does she abide by the command of status quo, delighting in the public's applause for her and keeping them complacently saturated with her smiles and curtsies? Or does Katniss hold three fingers high in opposition to the machine into which she has been thrown? It's a quarrel that the real Jennifer Lawrence would handle with a castigation of the media and a joke about sandwiches, or something... but her stakes are, admittedly, much lower. Harvey Weinstein isn't threatening to kill her secret boyfriend.
Through this chapter, Katniss also grapples with a more personal warfare: her devotion to Gale (despite her inability to commit to the idea of love) and her family, her complicated, moralistic affection for Peeta, her remorse over losing Rue, and her agonizing desire to flee the eye of the public and the Capitol. Oftentimes, Katniss' depression and guilty conscience transcends the bounds of sappy. Her soap opera scenes with a soot-covered Gale really push the limits, saved if only by the undeniable grace and charisma of star Lawrence at every step along the way of this film. So it's sappy, but never too sappy.
In fact, Catching Fire is a masterpiece of pushing limits as far as they'll extend before the point of diminishing returns. Director Francis Lawrence maintains an ambiance that lends to emotional investment but never imposes too much realism as to drip into territories of grit. All of Catching Fire lives in a dreamlike state, a stark contrast to Hunger Games' guttural, grimacing quality that robbed it of the life force Suzanne Collins pumped into her first novel.
Once we get to the thunderdome, our engines are effectively revved for the "fun part." Katniss, Peeta, and their array of allies and enemies traverse a nightmare course that seems perfectly suited for a videogame spin-off. At this point, we've spent just enough time with the secondary characters to grow a bit fond of them — deliberately obnoxious Finnick, jarringly provocative Johanna, offbeat geeks Beedee and Wiress — but not quite enough to dissolve the mystery surrounding any of them or their true intentions (which become more and more enigmatic as the film progresses). We only need adhere to Katniss and Peeta once tossed in the pit of doom that is the 75th Hunger Games arena, but finding real characters in the other tributes makes for a far more fun round of extreme manhunt.
But Catching Fire doesn't vie for anything particularly grand. It entertains and engages, having fun with and anchoring weight to its characters and circumstances, but stays within the expected confines of what a Hunger Games movie can be. It's a good one, but without shooting for succinctly interesting or surprising work with Katniss and her relationships or taking a stab at anything but the obvious in terms of sending up the militant tyrannical autocracy, it never even closes in on the possibility of being a great one.
3.5/5
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Paramount Pictures
Mob movies are a part of our movie history - and where there are great mob movies, there are great quotes. It was hard to cull the list down to 10, but I think I did it. Please don't fit me for cement shoes and make me sleep with the fishes if you disagree with what I came up with.
"I'll make him an offer he can't refuse." Don Corleone, The Godfather
If I really wanted to, I could populate this whole list solely from this movie and its sequel, but that wouldn't be fair to the other mob movies. This is the line that most people tend to quote from The Godfather. Of course, they try to do it in Marlon Brando's jowly, mumbly style.
"I know it was you Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart!" Michael Corleone, The Godfather Part II
This is one of the most powerful scenes in the movie. Michael Corleone gives his brother Fredo the kiss of death. Yeah, we know how that one ended. It also made me leery of fishing for a while.
"You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it's me, I'm a little f----d up maybe, but I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you?" Tommy DeVito, Goodfellas
This was the scene that made Joe Pesci famous. It's a fantastic scene that shows how fast he could go from being calm to being a raging, homical lunatic. It made you fear him.
"That black book's a joke. It's only got two names in it for the whole country. And one of them's still Al Capone." Nicky Santoro, Casino
Yes, It's another Pesci appearance. It's like a race between him and Al Pacino to see who can get the most appearances on this list. It makes me wonder though... how would a fight between Santoro and Tommy DeVito go? It'd be one with a lot of violence and swearing at each other.
"I always tell the truth. Even when I lie." Tony Montana, Scarface
Here's another movie that I could just take 10 quotes from and call it a day. Pacino makes another appearance on this list and he deserves to be there for his fiery performance as Montana. I was tempted to use "Say hello to my little friend!" but this one won out for me.
"I didn't ask for that and I don't want it. Goodbye Leo." Tom Reagan, Miller's Crossing
A highly underrated movie, this line is so defiantly spoken to bat down the offer of forgiveness. The Coen brothers made a great movie here and this scene deserves to be here.
"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!" Michael Corleone, The Godfather Part III
Yup. Another Pacino appearance. No, he's not paying me to put him in here. This was a very mediocre movie in comparison to the other two, but this was a very powerful line.
"Did he sound anything like that?" Eliot Ness, The Untouchables
Another great movie with an abundance of great lines, particularly Robert De Niro as Al Capone. This was the scene that really grabbed me though, as Kevin Costner's Eliot Ness served up some long-awaited justice. The first time that we saw it in the theater, people cheered.
"You a gangster now. You can't learn it in school...you can't have a late start." Carlito, Carlito's Way
Pacino again. What can I say? The man is good in roles that center around the mob or organized crime. This is one is a bleak statement about what people have to do to enter that lifestyle.
"What Freud said about the Irish is: We are the only people who are impervious to psychoanalysis." Colin Sullivan, The Departed
It's kind of fitting that Matt Damon's Colin Sullivan was the one who spoke this line. His character was a sociopathic dirty cop who had no moral compunction about diminishing his badge by serving a master from the underworld.
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Actor Shia Labeouf has reached a settlement with the producers of Broadway production Orphans after he was fired from the show earlier this year (13). The Transformers star was set to make his New York stage debut opposite Alec Baldwin and Tom Sturridge in March (13), but he bowed out of the play during the second week of rehearsals due to creative differences with his co-stars and director Daniel Sullivan.
LaBeouf later explained he was actually fired from the show because he did not get along with his castmates, so he filed a grievance with the Actors' Equity union against producers Robert Cole and Frederick Zollo for unfair termination.
Both parties have now put an end to their dispute after reaching an undisclosed agreement.
A joint statement issued to the New York Times reads, "We regret the circumstances that caused Shia's departure from Orphans. Shia is a gifted actor whose full preparation to undertake the role of Treat demonstrated his respect and devotion to the play.
"The parties recognise that neither Mr. LaBeouf nor the producers was at fault. We have the utmost respect for Shia and his acting abilities, and would welcome the opportunity to work with him in the future."

Back in the glory days of Glee — before the scripts became so desperate for love triangles that they actually began considering storylines for Principal Figgins and the bearded guy who plays the piano — fans of all ages would tune in for a scathing take on the coming-of-age genre, a dark but charming and progressive underdog story. Also, for singing. While many love the musical interludes, a small number of us — those in it for the likable characters and acerbic look at high school politics — felt the Lea Michele solos became an opportunity to check your texts real quick. After Season 2 brough on a severe dip in quality, a few fans lingered and among these, we have to imagine, some of the song-haters remained as well... and it is this community, the tiny population who preferred the later days of Glee but fast-forwarded through the musical numbers, for whom Camp was made.
Also, maybe a few people who went to camp. So NBC has got itself quite the target demographic with this one.
Catching the pilot of Camp will give you 'Nam-style flashbacks to your frustrated toils with post-Golden Era Glee. The debut ep introduces a selection of counselors and CITs, ages ranging from high school to post-grad, all embedded in some definingly maudlin quality. Misanthropic loner Kip (Tom Green, but not that... well, that goes without saying), joins the summer tradition against his will, his father hoping the experience will help his teenage son overcome some psychological turmoils to befall him in recent months. Obviously, he hits it off immediately — despite being aggressively standoffish — with another newcomer, the charming Marina (Lily Sullivan), who finds herself among the outcasts after the Internet becomes privy to her exposed breasts. Thanks to some heavy-handed heart-to-hearts and some extended silent glances, we know that their budding romance is going to be Camp's most laborious endeavor in the weeks to come.
But for all those not interested in this duo, the romances are plentiful from every corner! We've got romance between an Olympic swimmer and a law student, between an idiotic tag-along and a girl with no discernible characteristics, between the divorced camp director (hey, Rachel Griffiths is in this!) and an Aryan lethario half her age. It's got it all. Without that pesky interference of people singing about their feelings every eight minutes.
No, Camp does not have the wit of Season 1 Glee, nor the overindulgence of Season 4 Glee. It's middle-of-the-road Glee, set lakeside and with more opportunities for shirtlessness. So if that was the era you found yourself most fond of, NBC's new program might be up your alley. Or, perhaps, if you went to camp. You ever notice how people who went to camp are really, strangely into camp? What's up with that?
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In our quest to bring you the best TV content, sometimes we have to look... backwards. That's why we have Thursday TV Throwback, wherein each week our staff of pop culture enthusiasts will be tasked with bringing back some of the best television clips that have been forgotten by time, space and the general zeitgeist.
This week, we're celebrating one of our favorite topics: Drunkenness! With St. Patrick's Day right around the corner, we're bringing back some of TV's most memorable benders. From the gleeful to the downright tragic, join us in reliving the days of drunken past.
Brian Moylan: "Uncle Ned Has a Problem" As a young boy I didn't even know what an alcoholic was until watching an episode of Family Ties where Uncle Ned and his drinking problem come to visit. Suddenly so much about my Irish family suddenly made sense. Here is the scene where Elyce Keaton confronts her drunk brother about his addiction, but even better is when a jonesing Uncle Ned drinks a bottle of vanilla extract because he needs a fix. Oh, and did I forget to mention that Ned is Tom Freakin' Hanks. That's way cooler in retrospect than back then, when I didn't know what an alcoholic or a Tom Hanks was.
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Kate Ward: "Vitameatavegamin" TV's best drunk moment is one of its firsts. On a 1952 episode of I Love Lucy, the titular character titillated viewers when she took a job as the pitch girl for Vitameatavegamin, a new tonic with a needlessly long name and dangerous main ingredient: alcohol. After several takes, and several swigs of Vitameatavegamin, Lucy became a bit too happy and peppy for her own good. The TV moment — which still ranks amongst the funniest ever to hit the small screen, is so tasty — it's just like candy.
Matt Patches: "Mork Goes Baserb" Mork and Mindy's high concept — the sitcom antics of a twentysomething and her extraterrestrial roommate — served one purpose: to function as a platform for Robin Williams' physical comedy. No offense, Pam Dawber: the show needed you too. But in the end, it was all about Williams' quirky tendencies and spastic reactions. The show hit an energy high when Mork got around to getting drunk for the first time. Or, "baserb," as they say on Ork. After taking one too many sips of Ginger Ale, Mork launches into an even bigger frenzy than usual, a cacophony of sounds, gestures, and vague pop culture references.
Shaunna Murphy: "Randy's DUI" Randy Marsh is South Park's number one drunk, so it's surprising that it took him 9 whole seasons to garner his first DUI. Still, the wait was well worth it. "What seems to be the officer, problem?" he says as one of South Park's finest pulls him over for a sobriety test. Maybe this was supposed to teach us about the dangers of drinking and driving, but all it did for me was reinforce the fact that touching your nose is really hard.
Michael Arbeiter: "All in the Family – Archie and Mike stuck in the freezer" One particularly unforgettable episode of All in the Family sees Archie and Mike stuck in a meat locker with nothing but each other’s company and a bottle of hooch. What could have just been a joke-filled, low budget 30 minutes actually amounted to one of the most powerful scenes in the show’s history: Archie’s drunken confessions to Mike about the tyrannies that his own miserable, bigoted, abusive father imparted upon him when he was a boy. The revelation gave Mike and audiences alike a new empathy for Archie, and a refreshed understanding of just how much damage hate can do.
Abbey Stone: "Buffy Want Beer" Who doesn't love teen drinking? Especially when the teen is wise-beyond-her-years vampire slayer Buffy Summers, and the episode (in which drinking turns Buffy into a beer-crazed Neanderthal) is really a club-over-the-head metaphor for the dangers of alcohol. But really, when Buffy want beer, is there anything you can do about it? Buffy get what Buffy want.
Jean Bentley: "Donna Martin's Big Mistake" Everyone has that one friend who can't handle her booze. Unfortunately for Donna Martin, she was that friend when the Beverly Hills, 90210 gang sipped some champagne in their limo on the way to prom (as you do). Double unfortunately (is that a thing?), once her pals realized she was wasted and tried to sneak her out, she stumbled to the ground in front of a teacher and got in major trouble. Yes, this is why you occasionally feel inspired to chant "Donna Martin Graduates!" at completely inappropriate times (oh, just me?). To be fair, it kind of wasn't Donna's fault. Her boyfriend David Silver's dad gave her the champagne, not knowing she was a total goody-goody lightweight. That's what you get for trying to be the cool parent, Mel!
Christian Blauvelt: "The Comandante Song" Being a lancer in the Royal Spanish army in 1820s California is difficult. There’s oppressive heat and even more oppressive commandantes. The people hate you because you tax them at gunpoint. And at every turn there’s that rascally Zorro, the people’s friend, undermining you and carving Z’s in the seat of each new pair of trousers you buy. No wonder, then, you turn to the bottle to solve your problems. Just don’t get carried away like Sgt. Garcia (Henry Calvin) did in the 1957 episode “Zorro’s Flight Into Terror.” It’s one thing if you want to drunkenly mock your commandante in song… just make certain he’s not within earshot.
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Kelsea Stahler: "Ross and Rachel Meet Vegas" While I've never accidentally married my best friend/ex boyfriend while stumbling around with a permanent marker mustache on my face, this classic Friends moment is one of my favorite from the series because now that I'm old enough to drink, I know just how accurate it is. (Sorry friends, I know I've tried to make that "Hit me" gag work during actual drinking times. Sometimes I love TV to a fault, it seems.)
Sydney Bucksbaum: "The Hangover, Part IV" When Clark and Lois threw a joint bachelor/bachelorette party in Season 10 of Smallville before their epic wedding, they didn't expect a Hangover-like situation the morning after. But thanks to the gift of an enchanted bottle of champagne, everyone in the Justice League blacked out and had to figure out what happened the night before (especially who got married). After piecing the night together (congratulations on your wedding, Chloe Sullivan/Watchtower and Oliver Queen/Green Arrow!), Lois found the tape that they had taken turns filming the night before and we all got to see just how a drunk Superman would act. (Spoiler alert: he still saved the day!)
[PHOTO CREDIT: NBC]
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There's something oddly cruel about naming a comedy show that features D-list comedians Who Gets the Last Laugh? (It's all of us at them, right?) Alas, the likes of Andy Dick (who, between this and Dancing with the Stars seems hell-bent on taking up your television), Bam Margera, D.L. Hughley, Bill Bellamy, Tom Green, Charlie Murphy, Bobby Lee, Luenell, and Nicole Sullivan, are hoping they actually will get the last laugh on a new hidden comedy prank show on TBS this fall.
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According to TVLine, the series — which is hosted by Scrubs and Clueless star Donald Faison and developed by Punk’d creators Jason Goldberg and Ashton Kutcher (because they apparently can't get enough of watching people with egg on their face) —will have different celebs come up with outrageous pranks. Whoever has the best one that week (as determined by a live audience) will win $10,000, which they will donate to the charity of their choice.
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The show features of a mix of people with obligations to TBS (The Big Bang Theory's Kunal Nayar, Men At Work's Danny Masterson), former SNL players (Cheri Oteri, Chris Kattan, Finesse Mitchell), and people with actual clout who have absolutely no reason to be there (what the hell are you doing, Alan Thicke and Kevin McDonald?). Who Gets the Last Laugh? debuts on TBS on Tuesday, April 16 at 10 PM ET. Remember, we're apparently laughing with them this time.
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[Photo credit: Sara De Boer/startraksphoto]
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Happy New Year TV lovers! Since it’s a fresh start, let me reintroduce myself: My name is Leanne, (She awkwardly curtsies, stumbles, and falls. Wow, smooth.) I’m completely obsessed with all things television-related and I’m thrilled to continue spoiling you all with what’s coming up on your favorite shows! So here’s how it’s going to work: Every Wednesday, I’ll post a short but oh-so sweet list of all the spoilers you absolutely need to know. Every show will get their time to shine, but if you really want to hear scoop about a particular series, find me on Twitter (@LeanneAguilera) and use the hashtag #LeannesList to tweet a question about your favorite show. Or if you’re too lazy to open another window on your desktop, just place your requests in the comments below. Voila! So easy right?
Now that we’re slowly but surely becoming cyber soulmates, let’s get started! In the first 2013 edition of Leanne’s Spoiler List I’m dishing about the oh-so hot brand new characters you’ll be meeting in season two premiere of Smash and revealing a deeper peak into Elena’s sired mind from The Vampire Dairies boss Julie Plec. I also sweet-talked my way into watching the winter premieres of White Collar, Switched at Birth, and House of Lies and now I’m sharing all the goods about your favorite characters. So sit back, relax, and get ready for a new year filled with fun reviews and exclusive spoilers from yours truly. 1. Smash: A Dashing New Duo!
Some of you know I might have a teeny tiny crush on a show called Glee, so you can imagine how much I absolutely love NBC’s racy, innovative, and infectiously fun musical drama Smash! The season two premiere is still a month away, (Feb. 5!) but lucky for you Broadway lovers, I asked Santa for a sneak peek and I was very good this year! The first episode back is a whopping two hours long, and it is packed to the brim with new characters, thrilling musical numbers, and so many twists and turns that you’ll definitely need a neck brace when it’s done.
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Here's what I can spill about the episode: Dev is officially out of the picture and so far there is absolutely no sign of Julia’s drone of a son Leo. (Cue the applause please!) We get to meet two new fellas, Jimmy and Kyle, who are beyond talented and of course — in true Smash fashion — they’re definitely easy on the eyes. Think of this dynamic playwriting duo as the new Julia and Tom. Kyle writes the book, and Jimmy uses his swoon-worthy voice and musical skills to create the songs. While the Marilyn Musical Bombshell is caught in yet another pre-production snafu, Karen discovers the newbies in a bar and is instantly entranced by their powerful ballads and unique sound. There is only one problem—Jimmy (the so-hot-it-hurts one) has a massive chip on his shoulder and doesn’t want Karen (aka “Princess”) to help him and his partner achieve their dreams. Not to worry: Karen is determined to help their Broadway-bound show—whether they like it or not. Looks like Karen’s got herself a new beau to crush on! 2. House of Lies: Drunk and Delusional If you’re not watching Showtime's comedy House of Lies, you should probably seriously reevaluate your DVR schedule because this show is hilarious, witty, and most importantly, it has Kristen Bell! (Let’s all take a minute to relive the wonderment that is the Ellen/Kristen sloth video.) Now that’s were all in an amazing mood, let’s just dive straight into House of Lies season two scoop. (It premieres Jan. 13, bee tee dubs).
GALLERY: TV's Best Bitchfaces Jeannie is now back from a paid leave of absence from work. Remember that whole sleeping with her boss thing? Well, now she’s got a bigger problem: What the heck happened the night she got wasted with Marty and completely blacked out? It turns out Marty doesn’t remember their drunken night of debauchery either. Luckily, Jeannie begins to have flashbacks from their interesting (and bloody) night, but the last 30 seconds of the episode are definitely something that you don’t want to miss. Oh, and fun fact: Clyde has not one but two girlfriends! That’s right: Claude, our favorite smooth talker, is currently in a Ménage à trois relationship and invites Marty to join the festivities. Of course, I can’t reveal to you what Marty chooses, but I can tell you that his reaction is priceless. What about Doug, you ask? Welp, Doug makes a complete and total fool of himself in front of a very important client. Yet again. 3. The Vampire Diaries: Sired Vampire Girl Problems Whenever The Vampire Diaries is on a hiatus, life seems bleak, empty, and fang-free. Sigh. Luckily for all you Mystic Falls lovers out there, I chatted with the all-knowing TVD showrunner Julie Plec to help curb your bloodlust until the drama returns Jan. 17. Even though we saw the rage/devastation when Stefan learned of Elena and Damon’s recent under-the-sheets activities, Plec reveals that Elena’s love triangle between the two Salvatore brothers is far from over. “Elena's mindset is basically a combination of feeling a sense of loss of not being able to be around Damon and also this profound sense of guilt for how much she's hurt Stefan.” Don't forget about the third man in her life, though: her brother, Jeremy. "Equal to that, a protectiveness of Jeremy,” Plec adds. "She's feeling very unsettled that she's not there where he is in helping him go through the motions to uncover the rest of his hunter marks. So she's got a lot that she's concerned about." Our heroine will never lead a normal high school senior life, but then again, she is a vampire. GALLERY: TV's Most Infuriating Third Wheels
But about that Damon situation: Is Elena ever going to question the sire bond, or is she dead set that her love for Damon is the real deal? Plec answers, "In the midst of all of it, she's still wondering, are these [true] feelings she's feeling? They feel so real. What is going on with me?” Looks like we’re going to have to wait a few weeks to find out, but head on down to the comments with your speculations! Is it just the sire bond messing with her head, or does Elena truly love Damon? 4. Switched at Birth: Gifts Galore!
After what seemed like the longest season one in the history of television (I might be exaggerating just a tad), Switched at Birth returns Jan. 7 with a brand new season and a whole lot of fun! I've already witnessed the amazingness of the season two premiere and I am happy to report that fans will not be disappointed. When we last saw our two families, Angelo was awarded with a $5 million settlement which was basically the court's way of saying, "This is really awkward and we're really sorry that the hospital switched your two daughters. So here's a huge pile of money to make up for it." So, what’s a fella to do with all that cash? Shower everyone with gifts, that’s what! A cappuccino maker, a telescope, and a Rolex watch are just a few of the pricey items that Angelo gives the family to show his love. But the coolest present of all is definitely Daphne’s.
GALLERY: Twist! TV's Best (and Worst) Game Changers When I was on the Switched at Birth set last month, the lovely Katie Leclerc was kind enough to spill the details to me and now I’m going to do the same for you: “Daphne gets a food truck!” Leclerc exclaims. The actress reveals that although Daphne has an intense passion for cooking, owning a food truck is a huge challenge and commitment for the high schooler. “Now she has to learn about business and has to learn about how her business affects other businesses and different communities and things like that. But she figures it out and she really grows up. She really just thrives in that environment and it’s good to see that,” she says. Business savvy is great and all, but with food trucks it’s all about the tasty treats! So what will Miss Daphne be dishing up? Leclerc smiles. “The first time she takes it out she does waffles, but it turns out that she is going to do tacos… but with a twist,” she spills. Sounds delicious to me!
5. Comment Question: Dale Sullivan asked, “Got anything new on "White Collar"?”
Well my dear Dale, I just finished watching the mid-season premiere of White Collar and let me confess something to you: I have a HUGE crush on Matt Bomer. Is that spoilery enough for you? Okay, fine. Let’s get to it! The episode, “Family Business” — which premieres on Jan. 22 — is a total Marry Poppins (practically perfect in every way!) When we last saw our handsome hero, Neal discovered in a shocking twist that Sam is actually his father. Dun dun duuun! Now fans will pick up right where we left off and in the first three minutes you’ll learn everything you ever wanted to know about our MIA daddy, including the backstory behind the picture Neal has from when he was a little boy.
Golden Globes 2013: Worst TV Snubs To find the truth behind his father’s criminal past, Neal must go undercover into the spirited world of counterfeit whiskey (pun intended). So get excited, White Collar fans, because the only thing better than a shirtless Neal is a drunk one with a sneaky plan. We already knew that our blue-eyed badass was incredible at a lot of things, but you can now add professional alcohol replicator to that list. After a fiery climax (yup that’s a big clue), Neal makes the tough decision about whether or not he wants his dad to be a part of his life. Are you excited to meet Smash’s dashing new man? Counting down the days to get your Delena and Stelena fix? Intrigued by the new season of House of Lies? Tell me everything in the comments below!
Follow Leanne on Twitter @LeanneAguilera
[Photo Credit: USA, The CW, ABC Family, NBC, Showtime]
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